I'm sorry
by Advina
Summary: One year and a half after the end of the adventure the three friends endured, many things have changed. Penny is back to school, and still attending; Rhino is still watching T.V., action movies and series above everything. But as for Bolt and Mittens, things changed drastically, in an unimaginable way, and unfortunately, it was for the worse. What happened, and how can it be fixed?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Bolt walked back home. He was tired and his paws ached; it had been a long day, and it was not the first, as it would not be the last. He kept a quiet pace as he passed under the lights that illuminated the sidewalk. Despite having lived like this for a while already, he couldn't get used to life on the streets. Food wouldn't be a problem, since his puppy face would solve it no problem, but there was still thirst, harsh weather, aggressive dogs, cars, animal control, and so on. For a long time he wouldn't even had thought he would live like this… but it had almost been a year now, and he didn't know how it had happened. No, he did know, he just liked to _pretend_ he didn't, but he knew perfectly well how this had happened.

He reached his box, which was just another constant reminder of that had happened. He drank some water before getting inside and curling up in his cushion. _"I found some Styrofoam and I stuffed it inside, which I thought was both kind of creative and ironic…"_

He shook his head, shooing this ghost from the past. It was late and he had things to do in the morning. He closed his eyes and sighed. Just before falling asleep, a question popped in his head. He already knew the answer, but he kept asking it anyways: How had he ended up there?

* * *

He opened his eyes in a very familiar place. He would never forget it. The garden of Penny's house. Overwhelmed, he looked around. The sky was covered in clouds, gray and piled up, ready for the rain at any moment. A little away from him he made out two figures. At first, he couldn't make up details, but as he walked closer, they resulted too familiar. A cat, almost entirely black excepting her belly, paws and snout. Near her, a White American Shepherd, much bigger and stronger. Both were arguing about something. Incredulous, Bolt walked closer, realizing it was himself and Mittens that he was seeing.

" _You don't understand, do you, Bolt?"_ She was angry, her voice and corporal language betrayed her. _"She is manipulating you, she only comes close because you give her whatever she asks."_

" _That's not true!"_ The dog barked, equally angry. _"Princess is my friend, and she wouldn't do something like that."_

" _No, Bolt. I am your friend, and I'm trying to stop you from ruining your life. She'll try and have you as a mate to get herself a home."_

Bolt stared, frozen on his paws, how they both moved and talked. They were arguing over this "Princess", but no matter how much he tried to remember, the name didn't ring anything.

" _So what if she wants a home? She has the right for a second chance. You lived a situation like that yourself and nobody denied the chance to you."_

As the cat opened her eyes, Bolt wished his other self wouldn't have said that. The cat began to bristle her fur, something he had never seen her do before, and feared her anger as he continued to watch.

" _You cannot compare me to that mutt! Yes, I used to manipulate, but never tried to trick anyone into giving me a home!"_

" _It's not her fault that you gave up!"_ He howled furiously, before adding in a lower tone. _"And it's not her fault that you're being so selfish."_

Bolt cursed his other self mentally. How could he not notice? He was hurting her, he was! He tried to yell at him to stop, but not a single sound came out of his mouth. Impotent, he moved closed to the scene.

" _She brainwashed you!"_ The cat hissed. _"She's manipulated you so much that now you are a puppet! Why don't you just go and be her mate, and then have her filthy puppies, just like her!"_

Bolt did notice that Mittens had said that last argument with too much emotion. He would have liked to think why, but his mind was swirling.

" _You know what? Forget it! I don't even know why I'm talking to you. Since I met her you've been acting weird and you expect me to guess why."_

" _I'm trying to see for your good, dog!"_ She replied. _"Since Princess arrived you have gotten in many more problems than in the rest of your life!"_

The other Bolt went silent. The shepherd assumed she had been right.

" _T-That's not true! A-And if it were, it doesn't prove anything!"_

" _Bolt, you didn't even know what hunger was until I explained it to you."_

The other dog seemed to explode in fury. _"You would still be in your filthy alley if it weren't for me! Everything that happened later was because of that!"_

" _Same for you!"_ She snapped back. _"You would still be in New York, had it not been for me!"_

Bolt was getting scared. That wasn't them, that wasn't them. Ever since the animal control incident, both had carried on quiet, calm conversations. And he was seeing them, shouting at each other, throwing in their faces what they owed to the other instead of thanking for it.

Then, like a stone, the memory hit him. Princess was a little she-dog, a Belgian shepherd, whom he had meet on any given day. She was a stray, like Mittens said, and, as she had said too, she constantly asked Bolt for food or blankets; and Bolt had complied and gotten into several problems for doing as much in a very short period. It was also true that she was always getting close to him and brushing her tail against his neck or flank. Mittens used to sulk after he had been with Princess, and he had found it exhausting to try and figure out why, since she never answered when he asked.

" _And you know what?"_ Mittens kept going. _"I'm not wasting my time anymore. I'll be inside, maybe when Princess can give me back the Bolt I know, we can talk."_ Then she added, almost in a whisper. _"You disappoint me, Bolt."_

The other dog was out of his mind. Bolt feared he would be too angry to think clearly, and confirmed as much when he opened his jaw just to say, _"That's not happening. I'm leaving."_

The cat stopped dead on her feet and turned around, her look of total disbelief.

" _What did you say?"_

" _I said I'm leaving! I don't have to put up with this, and I won't!"_ He howled angrily. _"Do as you wish, Mittens! Enjoy your beloved home!"_

The other Bolt began to scratch his neck, while he watched himself doing as much in horror. After a few seconds, the other Bolt achieved his goal: taking of his collar. Then he grabbed it and threw it at Mittens. _"Keep it!"_

The cat was no much more scared than angry. _"Bolt, wait…"_

" _If I'm not the Bolt you know, then I'll leave, just how you want me to do!"_

" _No, Bolt,"_ Mittens cried with tears threatening to get out. _"I didn't mean it… I… I said it for a reason."_

" _Well, I don't care, Mittens! I no longer_ care! _"_

"Damn it, listen to her, you idiot!" Bolt yowled at himself, not affecting the scene at all.

The other Bolt was turning around when Mittens caught up with him. She was holding his collar in her paws.

" _Bolt, listen to me. I have to tell you something…"_

" _Go tell someone else!"_

As if his shout had been an order, the sky thundered and the first drops of rain began to fall down, wetting them both.

"No, don't do it, dumb. Listen to her, she wants to tell you something important! You wouldn't dare… you're not going to—"

" _Goodbye, Mittens."_ The dog said without giving opportunity to her of answering, with a complete neutral tone, eyes cold as ice.

Before she could react, Bolt had ran off.

"No!"

Bolt ran until he reached Mittens and watched, unable to change a thing, as his furious counterpart speed away from there. She didn't take her eyes off him, tears beginning to tickle down her cheeks, mixing with raindrops. She whispered his name a couple times, sobbing, before lowering her head and openly beginning to cry, in the same way the rain intensified, say, as if the sky were crying too. Then everything began to turn gray and disappear. Bolt lost sight of Mittens, himself, the garden, the house, the rain, all of it. Everything was gone. The dream was over.

"It was no dream," The told himself. "It was a memory. I did all of that, I acted like an idiotic dog!"

Then he analyzed his dream. The discussion was halfway when he joined in the dream and for the worst part no doubt. He had said, he had done things he had regretted since then.

He gave it a little more thought and found something new: he had never considered neither Rhino nor Penny. What would have become of them? What would Mittens have told his admirer? Would Penny have looked for him?

"Of course she would have, dumb," He scolded himself. "And she surely did for months."

Why had he abandoned his friend and person for an argument with Mittens? Recalling that day, he had not even thought of the other two until he was far away from home. Only until he had reached a highway had he remembered he was abandoning the other two important presences in his life as well. But his pride had forbidden him to go back to that house, and his wrath had still been so much that he had simply kept going, not caring… or pretending not to.

Why had he not remembered until later? Was Mittens' opinion more important than theirs was?

Then he recalled how the cat had angered when mentioning him as Princess' mate. Why would it bother her so much? Why was she so angry when she said that he should "have puppies with her"?

Bolt shook his head frantically, feeling silly.

"She wasn't angry; she was hurt, and I only made it worse."

He believed he had reached a conclusion. Mittens had been jealous of Princess. She had explained the concept to him herself. But even so, she had taken her jealousy too far for her best friend.

"Or maybe…?"

He didn't finish asking. He didn't know how.

Then he remembered something else. Himself. He had gone directly to Las Vegas. He didn't know why, but he had arrived there, found the place where Mittens had once tried to make him stay and had taken his box. That had become his home, and he still didn't know why there.

Slowly, he began to review his memory again. From the beginning to the end, and his stomach began to hurt the more he thought about it. His words, his actions… hurtful words, stupid actions, thrown at Mittens, who was only trying to look for his best as always, everything made him feel worse. For one reason he had locked this memory deep into his mind, because remembering it made him feel bad. It made him want to go back to the place to which he had promised himself that he would never go to again, not even crazy.

" _You disappoint me, Bolt."_

* * *

" _Bolt!"_

The dog opened his eyes and jerked awake. His gaze crossed a Beagle's with deep, black eyes, watching him happily. The small dog backed away a couple steps to allow Bolt out of his box.

"Hi there!" He chirped while wagging his tail. "I brought you breakfast."

"Er… th-thanks, Fox," Bolt mused after a few seconds.

The beagle looked at him inquisitively.

"You okay?"

The shepherd sighed and sat down, hanging his head. "Nothing…"

"If I believed that, I would believe everything. You've got something on your mind, and you've got it since… well, a long time ago."

Bolt noticed that Fox had not said what he originally intended to and wondered why. He decided he had no reason to lie to his friend.

"Yes, well, I'm not feeling okay."

"Reason?"

"I don't think you would understand. I don't think you've felt your heart getting crushed." He said, trying to explain graphically how he felt after letting the memory out of his mind and realizing what he had done. There was no response and Bolt looked up to face the beagle. He had his eyes tainted with pain and sadness.

"You know I do." He snapped at Bolt, turning his back.

The dog remembered in a split of a second the accident from a couple months ago and realized he had screwed up.

"Oh, damn! I'm sorry, Fox! I didn't remember Lily's…"

"Nah, doesn't matter," The other interrupted.

"I'm distracted, that's all." He hastened to add, hoping he had not angered his friend. He didn't remember receiving a single look like that since he had known him and he didn't want to start now. They had helped each other since they had met and that's how he wanted to keep it.

Fox looked back at Bolt, his gaze cheerful again. "Yes, it's quite noticeable. You didn't even notice the piece of meat I offered you." He emphasized, pointing with his nose towards the shepherd's front legs.

Bolt smiled slightly and lowered his head to eat. His current life was not bad. As he gave the first bite into his breakfast, he thought of all the good experiences he had lived during the last year. Another smile escaped his lips at the thought of Fox and Lily, his good stray friends, and he couldn't help but run a paw down his side, where he had a scar, remembering the day he had met them.

"Thanks," His partner barked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Why?"

"I thought you were remembering the day we met." The beagle replied, referring to the gesture Bolt had made. "After all, if it's nine and a half months and counting, I'm telling you it will be there forever."

"Nothing gets past you." The shepherd told him.

"Insight is my second name." Fox told him after swallowing a mouthful. "At least that's what Lily would say." He added before lowering his eyes again.

"Sorry."

Fox looked back at him. "Don't be. You did all you could; it was nobody's fault."

Bolt watched his friend keep eating with ease. He was too mature for the three years he said he had. Both finished eating in silence and then went out to check what they had taken as their territory.

After half an hour of walking, Bolt realized he could not pay any attention on what they were doing. His thoughts kept wandering over to his dream, so he would just follow Fox through the streets and alleys. He thought about that again. That memory, he had had it for a year, from the moment it had happened; why would it come back now, clear as if he had just lived it? He had worked very, very hard to suppress that memory inside his head, looking for anything to distract him from it, but there seemed to be nothing he could to this time. From one moment to the next, Bolt realized that they were no longer on the route they used to take.

"Where are we going?" He asked without much real interest.

"We're going to see Lily." Fox answered with remarkable joy.

Bolt found himself gaping. "What? No, Fox, it's not necessary…"

The beagle ignored him. "You need it. And me, too." His voice became absent for a moment. "C'mon, it's this way."

Bolt resigned himself and followed his friend as he had done all day. By then he couldn't care where he was going, as long as he could take his attention away from it. But his mind kept ringing one word, always the same. _Mittens._ Yes, maybe his current life was not bad, but the way he had walked out of the previous one was just terrible, and he was sure of it, as he was sure the sun rises every day.

* * *

"Hey, we're here. Hello, Lily!" Fox greeted. "I'm sorry I didn't come before, but I've been somewhat busy with Bolt these last weeks."

Bolt was no less than amazed by how naturally Fox talked to Lily, even after what had happened. He remembered what she looked like when they first met, a white, pretty Cavalier King with several large tan spots along her body. Now he looked in her direction, but…

"Bolt! What are you waiting for? Say hi!" Fox urged him.

"Uh… h-hi, Lily," Bolt said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Lily didn't answer, and Fox kept talking as if nothing.

"Yes, I do think Bolt is distracted, too. That's why I brought him to you, pretty. What do you think?"

Bolt watched as his friend put on and expression of thinking while he continued to watch the tree next to where they had buried the female in question. He was not sure if Fox was really talking to his deceased mate, or if he was just pretending to feel better.

"You're right," He kept going after some seconds of thinking and looked at Bolt. "She says you're to go back."

"Go back? Where?"

Fox raised an eyebrow. "To France, you genius. To your home!"

"Wait, are you saying that Lily…?"

"Lily and I, we both agree. You are not happy here; well, maybe you are, but not _as_ happy as you could be if you go back and fix things up."

Bolt then felt two things. The first one was a huge wave of relief: he had been trying to face himself since he realized what he had done to Mittens, though he had always tried to drown that memory among his other thoughts, he wouldn't last doing it for another month, let alone another year. The second thing he felt was concern, because he would be leaving Fox to his fate.

"And what about…?"

"I'll be fine, Bolt. I have the boxes, I have Lily and I have our territory."

The shepherd thought of another solution. He had given Mittens and Rhino a new home. Fox could join them.

"You could…"

"I don't think so," Fox interrupted again. "That's your place, not mine. With what you and I made these months, I'll manage. Besides, Lily is here and I couldn't leave her for long. Right, sweet?"

This time a leaf fell off the tree and landed on the beagle's head gently. Bolt couldn't have cared less, but Fox opened his eyes with excitement.

"She says yes!" He told him excitedly. "She agrees!"

Bolt decided to make his next question towards Lily, still not quite sure that she had had anything to do with the leaf.

"Lily, would it be fine if I spend a last day with your poor, desperate lover?"

"Of course it's fine," Fox answered without waiting to see what she had to say. "But we'll leave it in half a day. What do you say if we finish checking our territory, get some food and eat one last time together?"

Bolt smiled. "Lead the way, Fox."

* * *

The canine duo finished their route and checked there were no trespassers in the territory they had earned. Though neither of them would have been bothered to share what they had, outsiders were usually Machiavellian, abusive, or came in with intentions of driving them out. So they had agreed only to show kindness when it was required.

"Well, we're all clear," Fox yawned, sitting down in the alley behind the meat shop.

"Yeah, we are." Bolt got to thinking for a few seconds what would become of his friend if he left. "Fox, are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

"I thought we had talked it, Bolt. We haven't seen anyone in our territory in a little over a month. I think we earned the reputation to keep them away. And it's not like they know you're leaving, so they don't have any reason to come here."

Bolt sighed. His friend's words were with their typical optimism, but he couldn't find such angle for the situation. He focused his gaze on Fox, using a puppy face to make the usual person give them as couple of meat pieces before entering the store again. Why wouldn't he want to go back with him?

"Let's go," His friend's voice shook him out of his thoughts. "Lily will be waiting for us."

The white shepherd just nodded and took the piece of food that was for him before getting up and leaving the alley.

* * *

They both headed back to where Lily was and ate in relative silence, only breaking the silence for the occasional anecdote. After they were done, both dogs lay down under the shade of the tree to talk a while longer.

"Lily says, don't forget to apologize."

Bolt rolled his eyes. "I know; you've both told me like a million times. I screwed up, believe me, apologize will be the first thing I do." He said, relaxed. After spending that time in company of them two, he didn't picture himself going back to California.

"And I say, choose your words carefully," Fox added, lowering his voice. "After all, we're talking about a girl here; she'll tear your ears apart if she gets the chan—ouch!" The beagle was interrupted by a considerably large apple that fell on his head. "Sorry, darling, I was kidding." Then he lowered his voice again. "You see?"

Bolt chuckled. Then he chose to tell his friend what he had been considering.

"Fox, I really think… I should stay here."

The beagle jumped to his paws and stared at him. "Oh, no; not that! You get on your paws and start walking towards California. Right. About. Now." Bolt tried to explain, but he didn't gave a chance. "Lily's with me and says you're leaving. And she says you better treat Mittens well."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me. After all, if you manage to make her forgive you, maybe you'll even become a cute couple."

Bolt couldn't have been more confused by what he had heard. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

"Bolt, Lily and I have known since the first time you talked about them. It's obvious that you fell in love with her, and, by the way you say she was with you, it's obvious she had fallen in love with you, too."

The dog's brain swirled for the next seconds, and a weird feeling settled in his stomach. Had he fallen in love with Mittens? Even more, her with him? That would explain her extreme jealousy and her anger towards Princess no doubt. In fact, that explained a lot more. But _he_ had fallen in _love_ with _her_?

"You can think it on your way. California is not that close." Fox pointed out when he saw his face.

"Wait. What should I do… assuming you're right?" Bolt asked, unable to confirm or deny he beagle's assumption.

"Tell her how you feel. And that you're sorry." Fox must have noticed his expression of doubt. "You can do it. You're Bolt, the superdog, remember?"

Bolt chuckled at his friends comment and made a decision. It looked like everything was pointing home. Back to Penny, to Rhino… and back to Mittens. Then he realized he was crazy. He had said, he had sworn he would never come back, not even out of his mind. And since he was going back, he had to be out of his mind. What would he say to Mittens? 'Hi, how are you?' Moreover, how would he ever compensate for his actions?

"Well, if don't go there, you will never find out." Fox answered to his thoughts.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Bolt asked again, feeling a part of him hope the beagle would reconsider and ask him to stay. He didn't feel capable of facing her, and even thought it would be easier to fight a full gang of dogs.

"Affirmative."

"Won't it bother you to be alone?"

Fox chuckled and smiled. "I will never be."

"Are you sure you don't want to—?"

"Bolt," He interrupted gently. "Just go."

His tone finished reassuring him; he had to let Mittens know how sorry he was, and leave the rest to… whatever it were. Finally, his decision began to take strength. He was going home. The dog felt a pang of sadness, since it also meant saying goodbye to his newest friend. Without hesitation, he pulled the beagle in for a hug.

During those brief seconds, Bolt remembered all of his stray life. The fight he got involved to, the day he met them, being chased by Rottweilers; the scar he had earned as a result of that fight and how they had cared for him while he recovered; the way they had made up a "territory"; how, ironically, he had helped Fox confess his love to Lily, and how happy they had been; Lily's accident, just a few months after his declaration; her burial and their mourn of her leaving them; Fox's recover and how he still deeply loved her, even if they never saw each other; their little training sessions in order to stay fit for a surprise fight and all the tips they had given each other for survival in the streets; how, that very same morning, Fox had gotten him breakfast and motivated him to do something he wouldn't have dared do on his own, and how, countless times, he had helped Bolt, including that moment.

"Be careful," Bolt told him, parting from the embrace. "Don't get in trouble. I won't be around anymore to make myself a scar defending you. And be careful near the streets."

"And I won't be around to make you see what's in front of your eyes, so open them well," Fox retorted. "And don't worry… I know how dangerous streets can be…" His gaze went lost for a moment, probably remembering Lily's accident.

Bolt turned to the tree. "Take care of him, Lily."

"She says she will," Fox answered with a cheerful bark. "Now, go."

Bolt felt a surge of excitement. He was going home! He had denied himself for a long time, first out of anger, then out of pride and then out of taking care of Fox and Lily. Now both were urging him to go back. However, as he started running towards California, a very important doubt assaulted him. What was he going to say to compensate Mittens? He had a general idea, but the doubt remaining was: Which would be the right words?

* * *

 **Yeah, yeah, I know. Have been absent for quite some time. Sorry. Can't really justify it, just writter's laziness, since those extra chapters from my main story are a little too long. So I remembered I have this, another story, in Spanish, and decided to make a translation for it as well. It's shorter-6 chapters only- and has no Let's-Save-The-World plot. Just a small story I decided to do when I was in the middle of the extra chapters. I hope next time you know of me is in the other story, but if its not, then it will be here. You tell me if you liked this chapter and maybe I'll hurry up for the next one. Anyway, I guess that's all I gotta say so nos vemos luego.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Mittens sat down in front of her food bowl. It had been full since Penny came back from school, several hours ago. The girl had been quick to eat and do her homework and then gone straight to bed, not leaving her bedroom in all afternoon. She was the most affected, and she had searched nonstop for her lost pet, having failed through all the year. And, even after that year, she hadn't given up yet, though her strength seemed to be weakening, as if she were beginning to accept that she wouldn't see him again.

Mittens shook those thoughts out of her mind and focused her attention on something more pleasant. As she took her first mouthful, she began to recall the day she had met _him._

Any given day, a couple of months after Bolt had left. She would still cry him and slept always with his collar in her paws. Penny had been searching for him relentlessly, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

* * *

That day, she had gone out at night trying to get away from those thoughts. She had crossed the garden and even reached the next lot for a home. It had been maintained poorly, since there was a lot of vegetation, very leafy and even there were some trees. But in that moment she didn't care about that. She had the collar that belonged to her beloved dog in her paws and the tears were flowing down her cheeks freely.

" _What's wrong?"_ A voice had suddenly asked, frightening her. _"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, but I could not help noticing that you're crying."_

The cat had looked in all directions, surprised still, but searching for the owner of that voice.

" _Don't try to find me,"_ He had warned her. _"If you saw me, you would have to make something unimaginable."_

Finally, curiosity undid the knot Mittens had had in her throat and allowed her to speak. _"W-Who are you?"_

The voice, serious but with a kind tone, replied, _"Uh, uh, uh. I asked first, and you haven't answered me, miss. Why are you crying?"_

Mittens wiped away her tears, then explained to this voice what had happened a few months before the day, with all the details she could remember. The mere mention of that day caused more tears in her eyes.

" _I see,"_ The voice said with a reflective tone after she finished telling. _"Well, if you give me a few days to think about it, perhaps I'll find something of that fight that you may have missed. But right now I can tell you that you should not live in the past. Whoever is looking back gets no chance of paying attention to the present and loses even more opportunities than the ones he mourns."_

Mittens felt that the voice was leaving. _"Wait! You haven't told me your name."_

" _Trevor, it's Trevor. And you can find me here whenever you want, Mittens."_

" _Okay. Thank you, Trevor."_

After that, she said goodbye to him and started walking back home. She felt much better than she had since Bolt left, and she only noticed something curious after when she stepped inside. She had not told him her name, but Trevor had still addressed her by it. That detail stocked up her curiosity and prompted her to go back to Tervor the next day, and then the day after, and the next one and the next one until it became a routine to go see Trevor shortly after the sun set daily, no matter if there was rain, snow or wind.

* * *

She finished eating and licked her maw. Mittens looked out from the kitchen window. The sun had set already, and the moon would be out soon, meaning it was time for another "date" with Trevor. He didn't know, but over the months Mittens had felt more and more comfortable with him, until she had fallen in love. That made her somewhat nervous; she had been trying to collect the courage to confess her feelings towards him for several weeks now. Maybe he would finally let her see him, after she told him.

With that in mind, she set course for outside. She went through the pet door and found herself in the garden. She kept thinking of Trevor. He was mysterious, very mysterious. He had never allowed her to see him, and had never told Mittens why. He was wise and prudent, things she couldn't say about a certain white dog…

As she walked slowly across the lawn, she remembered that time he had saved her.

* * *

That day she went out for a walk. She had come to know Trevor really well and they were close friends, because in the three months since their first meeting they had talked a lot. Though, he knew more about her than she about him; there were many details Mittens didn't know about her mysterious friend, always hidden among the vegetation. She had walked around the city for a while, but the moment she turned back home, she had run into a couple of dogs.

" _Well, well, well, look at this. A cute little lost cat,"_ The first one had said.

" _Yes! A pretty, tender and unfortunate cat! We can play with her."_ The second one had added, his muzzle drooling.

Mittens had not even answered them. As soon as they had finished she had ran off home. Although she was giving her best to lose them, she couldn't leave them behind. In those moments, a fresh wave of sadness and sorrow hit her as her mind slipped back to Bolt. The shepherd would have protected her from those dogs bravely and without hesitation; her heart ached as she recalled how close she had been to telling him how she felt for him.

Feeling her spirits go down, she didn't even notice she was home and kept running forward instead of getting to the safety of the insides. That was until she almost bumped her head with one of the trees that used to cover Trevor.

" _Mittens?"_ Said one asked. _"What are you doing here?"_

In one split of a second, she remembered that she was actually running from someone.

" _A couple of dogs are chasing me,"_ She explained quickly and desperately.

There were a few moments of silence, and Mittens got to fear that her friend had left her alone when she needed him, something that had happened several times and she didn't feel strong enough to endure again.

" _Very well,"_ His voice finally said. _"I'll handle this. But I'm asking you to close your eyes and not open them for anything until I tell you."_

Mittens turned back and saw the pair of dogs catching up to her. Trusting everything on Trevor, she buried her face into her front paws and closed her eyes. She only got to hear the next part:

" _Look, there she is. She gave up!"_

" _Better for us, I didn't feel like chasing her in the first place. If she were not so pretty we wouldn't have bothered, and she should be flattered by that."_

Mittens could almost feel their breath on her tail, right behind her. She was just about to get up and keep running when she heard Trevor intervene.

" _Indeed, the girl is pretty. Unfortunately, she's my friend and you two are bothering her. I'll tell you this once: Leave this place."_

A couple of mocking laughs followed.

" _And what will you do if we don't?"_

" _Why don't you come out of your vegetable hiding and face us, hero?"_

A few seconds of silence happened before Mittens heard a long, deep sigh.

" _I warned you, don't deny it."_

After that, Mittens came to fear what Trevor was about to do. He had said it in such a tone, as if he were capable of killing them both. The cat was tempted to open her eyes and had to resort to all of her self-control to stop herself. When she felt she was about to crack, she heard something slipping out of the bushes and immediately both dogs began to stutter.

" _Th-That t-thing is…"_

" _A-A d-dra…dra…"_

Then she heard Trevor's voice, no high tone or aggression in it as he simply and neutrally said: _"Boo."_

Both dogs screamed in fear and Mittens heard their steps retreating at full speed, just before Trevor slipping back into his hiding place.

" _Very well, you can open your eyes now."_

She did, and as she had suspected, the dogs were gone and Trevor was under his hiding place again.

" _Th-Thanks for saving me, Trevor."_

" _It was nothing. That's what friends are for, right?"_

* * *

"That's what friends are for, Trevor," She repeated dreamily as she finished her memory. "That's it; I'll tell you today."

As she kept walking towards him, she recalled a little more about her mysterious love. Trevor seemed exceptional and always would find a way to cheer her up and keep her going. Although she had never seen his appearance, she doubted that it would matter. She was in love, and nothing else mattered.

Determined by what she had remembered, Mittens went directly to where she knew Trevor was hiding.

"Good evening, Mittens," He greeted her as she walked her last steps to sit down. "You showed up earlier today."

"How do you know?" She asked. She had not done anything differently from the previous day. How would he know?

"I don't." He replied playfully. "Just wanted to check your reaction."

Mittens chuckled and decided it was better now than never. He prepared herself and took a deep breath.

"Trevor, there's something I want to tell you…" She started.

"I have something to tell you, too." His answer caused her joy. Was it possible that he was going to tell her the same thing? "But, ladies first."

The cat took another breath; she could feel her nerves increasing every second and realized that if she didn't say it soon, she wouldn't say it at all.

"Trevor, I… I want to tell you that I am…"

"Stop it there," He cut her off. "Don't go on, Mittens. I'm sorry, but that's not true."

"What are you talking about? You don't even know what I was going to tell you."

"'In love with you', perhaps?"

Mittens went silent; working a bit of memory, she remembered that Trevor used to guess what she was thinking of or what she felt without her even telling him.

"How…?"

Trevor didn't answer her question. "Listen, Mittens, I know it hurts you that Bolt is gone, and maybe you even think that you fell in love with me, but that's not true."

"Of course it is!" Mittens defended herself, somewhat discouraged. Was he rejecting her?

"Really? You haven't even seen me at all. What if I'm a dog?"

Then Mittens thought she perceived that Trevor said "dog" on purpose. Even so, she was willing to prove herself honest.

"What if you are? I fell in love with a dog once, it can happen again."

The voice seemed to ignore the second part. "Correction: You _are_ in love with a dog."

"That's not true, Trevor. I forgot him the day I met you."

Trevor laughed at this, and Mittens began to feel her patience run out. What was wrong with her falling in love with him?

"Listen, Mittens," He said after finishing laughing. "You have never seen me. Maybe you can fall in love with a dog, fine. What if I'm a mouse, or a crab?"

Mittens pondered for a second. She felt triumphant when she found a weakness on his argument. "A mouse or a crab wouldn't have scared those dogs." Then she inhaled deeply. "What's wrong with me loving you?"

"As a friend, nothing. As anything else, Mittens, everything. I'm not destined to be your mate, Mittens. I was born long before you and I will die long after you. Your heart belongs to him, and his to you." He added before an object came out of the bushes and fell in front of the cat. It was Bolt's collar.

Mittens looked at it, her anger rising and then took it just to throw it away with all her strength. "He left me, he abandoned me when I was trying to help him! And you appeared and took his place!"

Trevor took himself a few seconds before addressing the angered cat again, and started with a heavy sigh. "Mittens, it's understandable that you may think you're in love with me. I helped you when you were in need and showed you a new perspective on what had happened. It's not rare that admiration or gratitude are confused with love. But it is not possible that you and I hang out if it's not like friends. I you ever saw me you would have to come with me and…"

"I don't see a problem with that," Mittens interrupted. In all that time, Trevor had always insisted that she was not meant to see him. "What's more, I don't care, like it or not I'm going to see you right now."

Without giving Trevor a chance to answer, the cat got her paws into the bushes and opened them wide with them. But there was nothing in there.

"Trevor?" She asked, more frightened than angry.

"Oh, Mittens," He sighed; his voice was coming from the top of a nearby tree now, and sounded disappointed. "We had an agreement. What guarantees me now that you will not try to see me again tomorrow, or the next day? From day one I told you that it was of vital importance."

"But why?" She asked again, fearing what she had done since his voice had sounded distant and neutral. "What are you?"

"You really want to know? Fine. I'm a sort of… reptile. Big one, and I'm not telling more."

Well, you're a reptile. I don't care, I'm in love with you."

"Two of us can play. I don't like it, but you're leaving me no choice." Trevor said, half to himself. "Well, you're in love with me. I'm not, Mittens." Mittens' heart ached to hear that. "You're a great girl, but I cannot, should not and am not in love with you. And now that you tried to see me, I must go."

Such was he had said it, Mittens began to feel her heart being shattered… again. "Why? Don't I mean anything to you?"

"You do. That's why I'm leaving, Mittens. I tried to help you, but failed to realize what I was causing and I confused you. For your sake, for your heart to realize where it actually belongs, is that I must leave. And you cannot see me."

Mittens began to feel desperate. "I won't! I swear I'll never try to see you again, Trevor!" She shouted in a broken voice. "Please."

"That's what you told me the first time we met. And, just today a few moments ago, you tried to do the opposite. I don't have guarantees that it won't happen again."

She no longer tried to defend herself. She felt her world crashing down once more and didn't feel like she could handle it. This was definitely not how she had imagined the end of that conversation with Trevor.

"No… please don't leave me…"

"I'm sorry, Mittens," He apologized deeply. "But your suffering won't last, so long as you know how to forgive and forget, and leave pride aside. For the souls that are destined to be together will always, regardless of the difficulties they face, end up together, as they should be."

Mittens' downcast eyes didn't let her catch a glimpse of her friend as he left. She merely heard a faint flutter and fell a small gust of air, which she didn't even know if it was Trevor's. She was only sure of one thing: she shouldn't have tried to tell him what she felt. It was the second time she was left alone in that moment. She tried to contain her growing tears, failing miserably even before a minute. Her first family, Bolt, Trevor… was she doomed to lose anyone she came to feel affection or care for?

He returned inside, her tail, head and spirits dragging. Upon entering she spotted Rhino in the couch, his eyes fixed in the television. The hamster stared at her for a few moments; Mittens stared back. Then he returned his gaze to the screen, not directing a word to her. She felt worse when she remembered the reason behind his actions.

* * *

A little over a month and a half before that night, with her already sure she was falling in love with Trevor, Rhino had noticed that she was leaving the house regularly and scheduled. One day he had approached her to try and find out where she was going, but Mittens felt that her affairs were hers and didn't want her friend to know about Trevor.

" _It's none of your business, rodent,"_ She had meowed with indifference.

But the hamster had insisted, with his classic emotion and vivid imagination. _"Come on, cat, tell me. Maybe I could even tell you; after all, another adventure would not hurt us."_

Unfortunately, Mitten's next words had been charged with far more poison that she had anticipated.

" _I said it's none of your business, rat! Stay out of my way, return your sight to that device of yours, and keep it there!"_

Rhino had flinched as if she had actually hit him and had given her a hurt look before complying to her orders.

* * *

After that day, Rhino had not spoken to her if it was not of mere courtesy, things like "good morning" or "good night", plus he didn't wait for her response. He had kept going with his life and had obeyed too literally her toxic-filled instructions, staying to his own and ignoring her. It was as if they didn't know each other, and now that Trevor was gone, she regretted treating the hamster like that.

He walked over to him slowly and jumped into the couch, not too close to him.

"Rhino, I'd like to talk to you," She muttered.

"Not now, Mittens," Was his response.

"But it's important," She insisted, feeling that, at least, she should make peace with him.

"There are a lot if important things, Mittens. For me it is that you, please, let me watch this."

His sharp tone made it clear that he hadn't forgiven her. Although it was already progress that he had answered, and asked to leave him be "please". Feeling more lonely than ever before, she got off the couch and headed for the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Rhino."

Although she said it loud enough for him to hear, there was no response. Mittens wasn't surprised for this, but it didn't make her feel any better that her only friend was ignoring her.

She walked upstairs to Penny's room, sadness making every step heavier and harder. The door was closed and Mittens had to run her declawed paws over it several times before the girl opened the door just to peek outside.

"Oh, it's you, Mittens," She said in a tone that reflected her exact feeling in the moment. "Come on, girl."

Penny opened the door and closed it again once Mittens was inside. Looking closely, her eyes were red, watery and her nose, too. She became worried for the girl, so she followed as Penny jumped back into her bed, curled up into a ball and began to sob and sniff, as she had probably been doing all afternoon.

Mittens climbed into the bed and walked to the girl. Since her back was to the cat, she climbed onto the girl's ribs and mewed to get her attention. Penny looked at her feline pet and, under Mittens' worried gaze, wiped her tears and sat down, placing Mittens on her lap.

Both of them stared at the other for a while. Mittens realized that she was not the only one affected by Bolt's departure and suddenly understood Rhino. How come she didn't think of it earlier? The little hamster had also been hurt, but he had tried to keep his spirits up, and his faith Bolt would come back, just like you care for a campfire on a cold winter night outside.

 _And I stomped on that fire until it was out,_ Mittens thought bitterly. _Bolt was right, I only thing about myself._

A tear rolled down her cheek, not unnoticed by Penny.

"Oh, Mittens," She sobbed, wrapping her arms around the cat. "I miss him, too. I don't know what could have happened to him. He would have found his way back by know if he were lost, like he did with you. And I can only think of horrible scenarios, Mittens. I want him back…"

The cat only closed her eyes tightly, empathetically feeling all the pain and sorrow from her person. It was a while before Penny fell asleep, tearing still, but Mittens stayed up a while longer. Looking outside from the window, staring at the moon, the cat felt something. Something she had hoped never to feel again: her heart closing. The only other time she had felt it was back in New York, shortly after being abandoned. Bolt, charming and determined, had opened it again. And when he left, she had begun to struggle to keep it open, even in his absence. Trevor had helped in that aspect… but that was over; and Rhino…

She had nothing left, no reason and nobody for whom keeping her heart open and exposed to pain. Maybe later she would fix things with the hamster. But for now, as a safe measure, her heart was to close, and hide her feelings once again. For how long? It didn't matter. The old Mittens, distrustful and pessimist, had come back.

* * *

 **And chapter 2 ready! Woo! So yeah, didn't take as much this time, but that's probably not gonna last, since my this is my last week of summer... but anyway! I'm already starting with the last part of curiositites and I'll try and upload both stories regularly, even after getting back to school. My special thanks to everyone reading, my shoutouts to Basbon, Starfiction123 and ShadowScare for reviewing the first chapter and... and I have nothing more to say, so nos vemos luego!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bolt was still walking home. Unlike the first time, he had not taken a single transport because, although he knew it would take him longer, he wanted as much time as he could buy to think about what he would say. He was already in California, and considerably close to home, but he still had his doubts. He had been tempted to return to Fox more than once, but he knew the little Beagle would kill him is he returned to Las Vegas.

Bolt began to recognize places close to Penny's house and kept walking, still not quite sure of what he would say, or how. He had also been thinking about what Fox had told him, _"It's obvious that you fell in love with her, and, by the way you say she was with you, it's obvious she had fallen in love with you, too"._ And he was beginning to believe the words of his small friend were true, but he didn't know if they were regarding him, or Mittens. Or both.

His small trip had been useful for that, too, for thinking. If Mittens had fallen in love with him, it was no longer a sure thing. She could have met someone, forgotten Bolt, or simply still be mad at him. However, the more he thought about it, the safer he felt to say that he _was_ in love with Mittens, as his insightful friend had said. After all, she had shown him the world, and had followed him and accompanied him through the whole country, even after their small incident in Las Vegas. And every time he thought of Mittens possibly forgiving him, his heart sped up, especially recalling Fox's optimism. _"If you can make her forgive you, maybe you'll even become a cute couple."_

 _But first I need her to forgive me,_ Bolt thought, feeling a heavy blow to his own optimism. Then he halted and shook his head brusquely, as is trying to shake those thoughts. How could he expect Mittens to forgive him is he himself doubted it? If he wanted to have a chance, he had to put all his hope into the chance that such a thing existed.

* * *

The sun had set for the fourth time since the white dog left Las Vegas when he identified he was just a couple blocks away. He slowed his pace and kept going more calmly; he hadn't stopped in all the way but to eat and sleep, and when he finally set paws on the garden, he lay down in the grass to rest.

He looked around for several minutes. Not many things had changed; nothing really. The lawn, the house, the barn, the tree, everything was in its place. The moon was rising above, bathing everything in tis dim light. That had not changed either. Once again, Bolt thought about what was coming. Probably, by this time, Penny would be already in her room, maybe even sleeping, so he would have to find a place to spend the night and come back the following day, looking for the cat. He would try to fix things with her. He had hope there was a solution, but in the unlikely event that they didn't reach it, he wasn't willing to be seen by Penny and Rhino, only to disappear again. So he would try and keep away from them, just in case.

With his course of action defined, the shepherd got up and stretched, emitting a yawn while doing so. Then he shook himself and talked alone, "Well, better come back tom—"

"Bolt?" A voice interrupted him. Her voice; the voice he had missed so much. And it sounded surprised, but off. Bolt froze for a second, but knowing he had nothing else to do, he turned around, knowing he would find Mittens.

"Hi, Mittens," He greeted as naturally as he could.

The dog took a look at her before she answered, and noticed how different her gaze looked. It no longer flashed with the joy he had seen since they got home; on the contrary, it was indifferent and lacking emotion, as was her answer, "What are you doing here?"

Bolt felt a stinging pain when he realized her state was his fault, but he also felt a surge of determination to fix it.

"Uh… I came back."

The cat rolled her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock," She exclaimed sarcastically. For a moment, and based on her tone, Bolt thought she would just turn tail and leave him there, but apparently her curiosity won. "Why did you come back?"

That question gave Bolt some hope.

"I wanted to check on you all. Penny, Rhino… you."

"Princess," The cat continued with evident pessimism. However, Bolt couldn't help but be curious about that name, and she obviously noticed. She sighed with annoyance, shook her head and rolled her eyes again. "She came over the next day. I told her you were gone, and she didn't believe me. After a little 'friendly chat' she rampaged into the house and confirmed you were gone. I never saw her again."

"Then… you were right," The canine muttered, half to himself, before chuckling. "I'm not surprised."

For the first time in the conversation, the cat opened her eyes with interest.

"What did you say?"

"I said that it doesn't surprise me. After all, you're always right." Bolt told her, feeling the small hope seed grow a little as the conversation continued.

For a moment or two, the cat seemed flattered. Then, suddenly, her gaze faded again. "Do you think you can fix it like this? What, that if you tell me a couple of nice words I will forget everything that happened during this whole year and forgive you as if you had just stepped on my by accident, just like it?"

Bolt flinched. "No, no. I wasn't…"

"Do you have _any_ idea of what I felt, Bolt? Do you know for how long I was uneasy? Or how much I suffered? Or Rhino? Penny?" Mittens spat at him, raising her voice progressively.

Bolt kept silent, Mittens' gaze on him. Suddenly he felt all of his optimism evaporate. She was right; he had done a lot of harm to her, to his best friend and to their person. And he couldn't just fix it like that, he wasn't sure if he could fix it at all. Hell, he wasn't even sure if the cat standing in front of him would give him that opportunity.

"I'm sorry, Mittens. I really am," Bolt muttered, his head down.

"You should be." She snapped. If she had accepted the apology, it hadn't been enough. Why would it? After a few seconds in silence, Mittens turned around.

Bolt knew he was losing her, but wanted to know one thing before that.

"Is there anything I can do for you to forgive me?"

"Yes," She said, stopping, and turned back. The only word afterwards hurt Bolt more than he thought, but them again it wasn't a surprise to hear her tell him, "Leave."

"I really am sorry, Mittens. I didn't mean any of it." Seeing that she was opening her mouth to argue, he quickly added: "I acted in a stupid and impulsive way, and I abandoned the one cat I care the most about while my anger blinded me. I don't blame you for not wanting to see me again. But if it will be like this, can you at least make something for me? Tell Rhino that I'm here."

"For what?" She asked with no interest.

"I want to talk to him. But if Penny sees me she'll get excited and I don't want to hurt her anymore. I already have, and I cannot fix it, but I won't do it again."

The cat looked into Bolt's eyes, though he couldn't decipher her expression.

"You're leaving?"

"That's what you told me to do. And you're the most important thing for me. If for you to be fine, I have to vanish, then I will. But I want to see Rhino again once more. I would do the same for Penny, but since she won't understand… better leave it like this."

The cat seemed surprised to hear he was accepting her demands without arguing. But she frowned quickly again. "Come tomorrow at noon. I'll bring you your _number one fan._ " She marked very well the last three words and Bolt understood that Rhino was probably in a similar situation.

 _How come I didn't think of this before?_

By the time he had finished his thought, Mittens was already leaving.

"Thanks, Mittens," He said with enough strength to allow her hear him, but not too much; he didn't want Penny to know about his return, especially if he wasn't staying.

* * *

The next day, at the agreed time, Bolt arrived at the garden. He waited just for a few minutes, just like the previous night, sitting with his back towards the house door, until he heard a voice.

"Let go! I told you, I don't want to be outside!"

He didn't even had to turn around, Rhino's voice was unmistakable. When he did, he saw Mittens holding Rhino's ball between her paws as the hamster fought from within it to get free of her grip, probably to go back inside and watch TV.

"Will you stay still?" She complained. "Just do what I tell you and look over there for a damned moment."

The hamster, realizing he wouldn't get back inside without first pleasing the cat, did as she had asked. "What do you—? Bolt?"

Mittens lowered Rhino's ball to the ground and moved away from the two, looking blankly at Bolt before doing so. The dog would have liked to ask her to stay, but he had had his talk with Mittens. At the time, Rhino was who he had to focus on.

"Hello, Rhino," He said, just as he had the night before with Mittens, hoping his friend wasn't as affected as the cat.

For a few seconds there was no response. The hamster just stared into the dog's eyes and the other way around. Bolt noticed that at one point, Rhino twitched his whiskers. Then, without saying anything, he turned around inside his own ball and opened it from the other side. When the lid fell to the ground, the rodent walked out of it calmly, walked around the ball, and the shouted, "I knew you would come back!" Then he started running as fast as his little size allowed him to towards Bolt. When he was close enough, Rhino jumped on Bolt, reaching his ankle and hugged him.

The shepherd could only feel joy to see that Rhino was forgiving him. With his free paw he returned the gesture and hugged him for about a minute before lowering him to the floor again. Looking around for Mittens, he spotted her still outside, but sitting with her back towards them, merely turning her head from time to time.

"You gotta tell me everything, Bolt!" Rhino demanded. "How was life in the wild? Did you face villains? Did you forge alliances? Where did you establish your operations base? You better have not replaced me with a mutt, huh?" He didn't even gave Bolt any chance of answering any of his questions. "Oh, and I have to tell you! Your show just went even lower, somebody added zombies to the series! Can you imagine? Aliens and zombies? Nothing good left of it, I only watch it for a good laugh now. You have no idea of how much I missed you, but I knew you would come back! Bolt would never leave his friends behind, no sir!"

Finally the hamster gasped, giving Bolt just enough time to answer, "I'm glad to see you too, Rhino."

"Well, how was your year?" The hamster asked again, more calmly. "I see there were battles, those scars make you look like a war hero."

Bolt couldn't help but chuckle. At least Rhino was better now. "Well, if you let me, I will tell you everything." He said, while moving his eyes towards Mittens. He invited her to come closer with a nod. However, the cat just turned her back on him again… though Bolt could notice that her ears were pointing towards him.

* * *

During the next hour or so both friends exchanged storied of what had happened during the last year, although it was more Bolt telling stories. Rhino was always attentive and during the whole time gave no sign of being angry or upset with him for leaving, more like he was happy for his return. Finally, when Bolt was left with no anecdotes left, he made a slightly more serious expression.

"Rhino, I'm going to assign you on a mission." The hamster opened his eyes wide with excitement. "I need you to take care of Penny and Mittens for me."

Rhino's gaze fell from excited as quickly as it had gotten there. "What? You're leaving again?" He asked in a tone and with a gesture that made Bolt feel bad.

Before answering, Bolt noticed that Mittens had come closer to them, still in the same position, but several steps closer: sitting down, facing the adjacent lot, her back to them and her ears pointing at them both.

Bolt closed his eyes and tried to think of an explanation for Rhino. Then he told himself that he had no need to lie to his friend or treat him like a kid.

"Listen, Rhino, I am… in love with Mittens, yes?" The hamster nodded, with an expression making it clear that those were not news for him. "And I hurt her a lot when I left, especially since it was after a fight we had. Now she doesn't want me back, and I don't blame her for that." He sighed again and raised his voice a little, hoping Mittens would hear the next part. "Her well-being is the most important thing for me, and that, right now, involves not seeing me again. So I will leave, no matter how much it hurts… I understand I don't have a right to set paw back into that house unless I have everyone's approval."

"But you have mine!" Rhino retorted, almost in an imploring tone. "And Penny's and her mom's for sure. The one with a problem is the cat!"

"But her opinion is the most important for me, friend. I love her more than anything, and trust me that it hurts a lot that she doesn't even want me close, but I cannot accuse her of anything. Now when I caused this. If I had listened to her, we wouldn't be here."

Rhino lowered his gaze for a few seconds, staring at something he alone could see. Then he looked back at Bolt. "I understand, Bolt. I will not fail you." He said with determination.

"One more thing," Bolt requested. "Don't get mad at her, Rhino. The fault for all of this is mine, and mine alone. Treat her well, please. And say hi to Penny for me."

"Are you leaving now?" The rodent asked with misty eyes.

Bolt couldn't answer with words. He couldn't bear see his friend like that. Closing his eyes tightly, and with his head bowing, he nodded slightly.

"And where will you go?"

"The truth is that I don't know, Rhino."

There was a silence for a few seconds before the hamster risked it all.

"Could you come back tomorrow at the same time? Penny and her mother won't be here and we could talk a little more. I could even help you think for a place to live."

Bolt didn't know how to answer. His eyes instinctively moved to Mittens. The cat had turned around, so their eyes met. She diverted hers almost immediately and told Bolt, "Do what you want. I don't care."

Bolt sighed feeling another painful twist in his chest, and addressed the little hamster. "Yes, I guess I could come for a while."

Rhino's eyes lit up again. "Great! Noon, Bolt, not a second after." He ordered, pointing at him with both hands.

"Of course, Rhino."

Both friends hugged each other and the hamster got back inside. Mittens was still outside and still in the same place.

"Mittens, I…"

"Don't try it, Bolt. Just go." The cat interrupted. He caught a tear slipping from her eyelid and instantly tried to get to her. "I said leave! Beat it!" She shouted at him.

Bolt froze in his steps, surprised, and turned tail to leave with his head down and his eyes on the floor just in front of his paws, not before he heard Mittens begin to cry openly. He didn't have the courage to look back at her before leaving and heading to where he had slept the previous night.

* * *

When in his temporary shelter, which was quite close to the house, Bolt began to analyze what had happened that day.

At least Rhino was fine now that they had talked. Although he knew very well that his little friend didn't want him to leave again, he also knew that he would fulfill what he had asked, and take care of Mittens and Penny.

The cat herself was another completely different situation. She showed no signs of wanting to forgive him, let alone to allow him to live in that house again, and he understood that. What he didn't understand was why she had started crying that day, when he was about to leave. He didn't see any apparent cause for it, and the matte was around his head for at least half an hour.

"Of course!" He almost shouted when he found what he thought was the answer. "She's still hurt. And seeing me does not help. Maybe then I shouldn't go back…"

But he had already promised Rhino to be there at noon. Then he found a solution: If seeing him caused Mittens pain, then Bolt would go back to see Rhino the following day and then he would leave… for good.

* * *

 **Yes, I know, I know. I'm terribly late... again. Sorry. I just started college and my free time was just buried deep underground. I'm literally posting this from my school's library. And I wrote the chapter in between clases... I have no idea how will I keep up, man. Anyways, thanks for reading, my especial thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter; I know they were a lot, and I usually memorize who, but man I am. So. Damn. Tired. I wouldn't even remember my own name had I not have it in my I.D. So sorry. Guess that's all for now... nos vemos luego.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Mittens finished wiping her tears with a paw. She couldn't understand why she had started crying in the first place. There was no reason… was there? Was it Bolt? But that didn't make any sense! Bolt had left willingly, and now she was used to not having him around. She didn't need him; he had no right, not the _smallest_ right to place a paw inside the house again, no matter what he said.

Then, suddenly, she remembered something Trevor had once told her: _"It is not our job to decide who deserves what. We have no authority to judge other's actions, however cruel they may seem, because we have never seen life from another perspective other than ours."_ She felt more tears threatening their way out as she recalled the way she had ruined her friendship with Trevor in the heat of her despair. Losing her appetite, she pushed her dish and stood up to leave the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Rhino asked, his mouth full.

"Five days ago I was trying to speak to you and you sent me to chase snails. Why would I answer you now, rodent?" She asked aggressively, turning to face him.

Surprisingly, Rhino looked calm, and held her gaze as he swallowed before answering, "First of all, I'm sorry," quickly, but sincerely. "And second, because I'm the only one you'll have to talk if you're sending Bolt away."

"You want to play like that?" She asked, raising her voice. Though, she had to admit to herself that Rhino was really following Bolt's assignment. He was not showing any anger or frustration at all. "I've lived without Bolt for a year now, and I can do the same without you. I have lived without friends longer than you have lived at all, rodent."

"And do you really want to get back to that, Mittens? Going through life with no one to trust, no one to turn for help?"

She couldn't answer. After she finished measuring what she had said, and processing what Rhino had replied, Mittens simply turned around, intending to leave the kitchen.

"I know you miss him. I don't need a detective for that." The hamster added as she was leaving. "There was not a single day of the year you didn't mumble his name asleep. Even yesterday, that you had already seen him again."

"That's not true!" She spun around, her fur starting to bristle. "I don't even talk in my sleep."

"You can't be sure, cat. You're asleep!"

Feeling her little companion had shut her up twice already, she shot him a furtive glance and left.

As she walked through the garden, Mittens thought about Rhino's words. Was it really possible that she missed Bolt? She shook her head. _Of course not!_ She thought. _Bolt left, that's it. There is nothing more to discuss. And he will leave again, because I don't want him here!_

"What's all that anger for?"

Mittens recognized the voice instantly. Forgetting everything else, she ran up to the bushes and plants.

"Trevor! W-What are you doing here? It's not like I don't want you to be here, but… you said…"

"And it is true I must leave. This is the last time you will talk to me, Mittens. I just came back to make you see your mistake."

"You too?" She complained, before asking skeptically. "What, you saw all of it?"

The voice ignored her tone. "All of it. Even what you failed to see."

Mittens was annoyed that her last conversation with Trevor would have to spin around Bolt. However, she didn't want to leave knowing she wouldn't see him again. She rolled her eyes and sighed in defeat.

"Talk."

Trevor cleared his throat. "You're not seeing everything Bolt did for you. He—"

"Oh, I will tell you what he did for me," She interrupted, annoyed. "He left me alone, he broke my heart and he ruined everything around me."

"I know that." Trevor answered calmly. "What you are not seeing is what he is doing to make up for it. He came back, even after a year. He apologized in the first place and took all the fault, even though you have some of it." He didn't let Mittens interrupt again. "C'mon, girl, it takes two to tango. Bolt wouldn't have argued so much if you hadn't argued back. He already left his pride behind and realized he belongs to you. Nothing would make him happier than to live here gain and spend his life with you."

"That's not…"

"And speaking of the devil…" Trevor cut her off, just to stay silent afterwards.

Mittens didn't understand why Trevor had done that, until she turned her head. Across the street, Bolt was walking with some food hanging from his mouth. He walked a regular pace, but turned his head towards the house constantly. He reached the point where he stopped and left his food on the floor, sat down and stared at his old home. He didn't move for about a minute; then he shook his head sharply. Mittens caught him shouting "Wake up, Bolt, she hates you!" to himself. The cat could almost feel the pain it had caused him to say that, and watched him go away with his tail drooping.

"You see now?"

Mittens shook her head. "It's not true; it's not possible." She kept silent for a few seconds and closed her eyes. "No, Trevor, you're wrong this time. I don't love him anymore."

"Hmm… well, if you say so."

Mittens wasn't expecting that answer. "What?"

"What about what? I can be wrong, you know. I have a right to. Besides, I know what I see when I see it and I've told you what I see." There was a small pause, that ended with a sigh. "Take care, Mittens. I hope everything ends well."

"Wait!" But the bushes rustled and Trevor, whatever he was, came out from the other side of the vegetation.

Defeated, annoyed and confused, Mittens went back inside. She came into Penny's room, and, for the first time in a year, used her own bed, trying to prove she was right. But, was she? Did she want to be right? Forget Bolt and send him to a life in the streets?

 _He did it himself,_ She thought before closing her eyes.

* * *

It was one long night for the cat. She couldn't fall asleep and didn't understand why. She huddled, moved, went over to Bolt's bed, to Penny's, back to her own, and nothing. Frustrated after changing position of the thousandth time, Mittens got up and went down the stairs, looking for anything to distract her; if she weren't sleeping, she might as well do something useful in the meantime. She was actually surprised to find Rhino, perfectly awake and with the television off, on the couch.

"Can't sleep?" He asked when he caught her eye. She nodded. "I see."

"You?"

"Same. I'm trying to think somewhere Bolt could live."

His statement hit her more than she thought it would. Bolt and Rhino were obeying her command, despite none of them wanting to. Bolt, for love, and Rhino for following him. As the rodent had said before, the "problem" was with her. But there would not be a "problem" if Bolt hadn't left in the first place, so the guilt was still his, no matter what anyone said.

A snap brought her attention back to the present; lowering her gaze and finding Rhino staring at her, she realized he must have asked a question and was waiting for the answer.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if you could let Bolt stay," The hamster repeated. Mittens didn't catch any accusation in his tone, more like he was begging her.

Even so, he mere mention of that idea closed her head to any positive answer. "No," She meowed firmly, but without any aggression this time. "He can't stay."

Rhino sighed. "But it's dangerous out there. Just because he managed the first year doesn't mean he'll manage the second and… no, forget it. As you wish." He said after interrupting himself, clearly disappointed. The cat realized that Rhino was _still_ following Bolt's command, and she imagined he would keep on with it, just because of his loyalty to the dog.

She decided she didn't want to think anymore. Looking over to the clock that marked one forty-five, she realized she had not slept at all and couldn't keep in a yawn. She jumped off the couch and headed for the stairs. "I'm sorry, Rhino."

The hamster clearly tried to hide his sadness, not giving much result for it. "Doesn't matter. He'll be… fine." He didn't sound convinced of his words, either.

Mittens sighed and went back upstairs. She lay down on Bolt's mattress without thinking about it. It took her a few minutes, but with a little help from the soft rain on the window, she finally fell asleep.

* * *

Her dreams were not any better. Unstable and confusing, Mittens first dreamed that she was back in the garden. She had heard Trevor calling to her. She went to him happily, wanting to talk once more.

"What is it, Trevor?" She had asked.

"Mittens, there's something I want to tell you. Two things, actually," The voice had told her.

"Tell me, Trevor."

"I am very sorry for not noticing before. I think I am in love with you." The voice had confessed.

"R-Really?" She had asked, her heart speeding up.

"Yes. And that only means that I will let you see me. But I have to tell you first… this is not my real voice."

"It doesn't matter, Trevor; nothing else matters." Full of hope, she had added. "Come on, let me see you."

Then something changed, and Trevor's voice had sounded in a much sharper, shrill voice.

"Okay, here I come."

The bushes had rustled, while Mittens waited anxiously and excited. At last she was going to see the mysterious form of her beloved! But that excitement turned into horror when the one who jumped out of the plants was none other than…

"Rhino?!"

"Of course! Be-awesome, huh, sweetie?" The hamster winked at her.

* * *

Mittens woke up terrified, breathing as if she had just run from New York without resting. She took several minutes to calm down completely, while trying to get that dream out of her head, denying it had ever happened and shaking her head frantically with her eyes shut tight. It was a mental image she wanted _out._ Shortly after calming down, and before she realized, she was asleep again

* * *

Being close to noon, Mittens was outside in the garden, waiting for Bolt due to Rhino asking her to keep watch while he finished some "important business", clearly a TV show or something. The agreed time arrived, but Bolt didn't appear. _He surely wasn't going to keep his last promise,_ she thought with annoyance.

Mittens looked for something to distract herself, particularly trying to get rid of the dream from last night. She shut her eyes tightly and shook her head. Then she came up with an idea: if Trevor was really gone, she could go to his hiding place and prove herself he was not Rhino.

"Yes, that may help," She told herself.

She walked over to the bushes where Trevor was always hiding. Once there, she hesitated.

"Trevor?"

No answer.

Still no entirely sure, Mittens placed a paw under the vegetation. She did and then the other one. Then the hind ones and she found herself under the bushes that had always hid her friend from sight. There was nothing there, not the scent of Rhino nor any scent at all, as if Trevor had never actually existed. Sighing, half relieved, half hurt, she got out of there only to find Rhino running towards her.

"Mittens, Mittens! Bolt's not here yet!"

"So?"

The hamster looking at her accusingly. "What so you mean 'so'? It's more than one o'clock, and he wouldn't be so late unless he were in trouble."

Mittens rolled her eyes, but she felt a pang of worry too, knowing that her little friend was right. She decided to stay with him until Bolt showed up and they both sat down.

About half an hour passed before Mittens mewed, "If he doesn't want Penny to see him, he better come soon."

Rhino didn't seem about to answer; instead, a fearful yowl came from afar.

"Get inside, now!"

Both of their heads turned towards a Bolt running frantically towards them.

"Inside, now!"

Mittens looked further behind Bolt and opened her eyes when she saw about five other dogs chasing him, barking like mad.

"Rhino, let's go inside," Mittens urged, her fear for street dogs stirring inside her.

"Why?"

"Because Bolt said so." Without giving the hamster time to complain, she grabbed his ball and ran to the safety of their home. She quickly looked for something to block the pet door with and then backed away from it.

"What are you doing? Bolt is still outside!" Rhino argued when he saw her actions.

"Don't go out for anything in the world!" His voice commanded from just outside the door.

Mittens realized Bolt wasn't coming in. And that only meant that he was going to face them. With her eyes wide open and the surprise in her mouth, she jumped to the couch to see through the window. Rhino joined her moments later.

Bolt stood his ground far enough from the house and faced the group of dogs, which were forming a semicircle around him. Observing them well, Mittens saw they were smaller than him, but also many more. Only the apparent leader, a Rottweiler, was taller, and not by much.

"Kill him," He ordered after a few moments.

Bolt stepped back a little and prepared to fight.

The first dog leaped at Bolt trying to tackle him and pin him to the ground, but the shepherd used that same momentum to throw him back, making a backwards flip in the process. The second and the third approached each on one side of Bolt and jumped at a time to him; Bolt simply backed away and the collided with each other. He was keeping his cool, even though his expression was nothing less than serious. The fourth dog jumped onto his back while Bolt had been observing the two others. Scratching and biting, he began to make Bolt bleed. The shepherd spun around several seconds, trying to get him off, until he managed to bite the other dog's tail. As he yowled in pain, Bolt threw himself backwards to the ground, crushing his attacker and leaving him out of breath.

"Whoo!" Rhino exclaimed, cheering Bolt.

The leader was only watching as Bolt got to his paws and walked over to him. They exchanged a couple of words Mittens couldn't get, but the conversation ended with the Rottweiler lowering his head and growling at Bolt, so she figured. A moment later, he was jumping at Bolt.

Unlike the other four, this one seemed to know what he was doing, plus he had many more scars over his ragged pelt. Mittens guessed this one was the experienced one, and the others were just getting started in the business. Perhaps that's why they had chased Bolt in the first place, to get a little experience.

"No! Bolt!" Rhino's shout pulled her back to the moment.

The Rottweiler had Bolt pinned to the ground. However, the shepherd used his hind legs to throw him away before he could do any harm. The dog landed badly and, because of how he started walking, seemed to have hurt his leg.

The hamster's excited face gave away that he was enjoying this as if he were watching Bolt's show again. Mittens couldn't help but smile, too, seeing Bolt had beaten all five of them. The feeling did not last, though. While Bolt was talking to the Rottweiler again, probably trying to dissuade him from fighting anymore, the first dog had risen to his paws, and was stalking him from behind.

"Bolt!" The two of them shouted.

Their warning did not reach his ears. The leader attempted to claw Bolt in the cheek; he ducked to avoid it, but as he was rising again the other dog fell on his back and began to attack him. Bolt twisted frantically, trying to get him off. However, the two who had hit each other were up again, and they tackled Bolt to the floor, and held him there. The three of them began to bite and scratch him, and although Bolt defended himself and fight back, he was in no advantage. It was no more than a minute before they stopped, just after the leader yowled, "Stop!"

The three dogs stopped and backed away. The shepherd was gravely injured, covered in wounds and with his white fur matter in bright red spots and jets that tainted his body. His eyes were glazed and he barely noticed when the Rottweiler walked to his side. Once again there was a small conversation between the two of them, ending when the leader gestured for the three to go get the last one. A few seconds passed, in which Mittens clung to the small hope that they would leave Bolt there. When the other four reached their leader and began to walk away, the feeling grew.

Suddenly, the Rottweiler jumped back at Bolt and bit his throat hard, shaking his head sharply as he did so. The snap was loud enough for them to hear it, immediately replaced by Rhino's yowl in horror as she froze in her place by the impression of what was happening.

* * *

"Cat!"

Mittens' eyes shot wide open and she jumped to her paws, looking around for trouble. She was still terrified by that image, and it took her a few seconds to realize that they were in Penny's room, and Rhino had called her awake from the nightmare. By the time she had realized all of it, Rhino was tugging at her paw.

"What do you want, rodent?" She asked, doing her best to sound annoyed, although she couldn't help feel gratitude towards her little friend for pulling her out of the dream.

"it's Bolt," The hamster answered, clearly worried. "He's not here yet."

"And what's wrong with that? He said he wouldn't until noon."

" _It's_ noon."

Mittens opened her eyes wide. "What was I doing asleep at noon?!"

"You went to sleep late last night," He reminded her. "And you hate when we wake you up, so I let you sleep. But that's not the point, Bolt's not here yet and he's worrying me."

"Last night it rained. He may be late because of that."

Rhino stared and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, I forgot Bolt's gotta drive carefully not to crash."

Snorting, the cat looked for another reason. "What if he's looking for food?"

"That didn't stop him yesterday," Rhino argued.

Mittens began to despair, and worse, to share Rhino's fear. She tried to think of anything else that could explain it, but nothing was coming to her mind; it was too busy picturing Bolt dying violently in a fight.

Another tug on her leg made her look down at Rhino. The hamster was strong, but he seemed fragile at the moment, trying not to panic as much as she was. His eyes, which had glowed like that fire again since she saw Bolt once more, were clouded with worry.

"Mittens, can we go find him?"

"Yes," She told him without hesitation.

A little calmer, the two of them, they moved downstairs. Rhino waited for Mittens as she ate something and then climbed to her back to go get Bolt.

As they headed to where Mittens knew there would be the more strays, she began to think as well. What was happening to her? Did she _want_ Bolt back?

 _That doesn't matter now! He could be in danger!_ She scolded herself. _Get him first, think what to do with him later._

With that, the cat stopped thinking about it and focused on finding Bolt, wherever he might be, feeling more concerned than she would like to admit out loud.

* * *

 **Yo, hello there! I managed another chapter while on school! We're coming close to the end of this small story of mine. I have to thank you all for having the patience for each chapter, even though I sometimes do take looong, and of course my special thanks to Basbon and Dan69420 for reviewing last chapter. There was a guest, too. Thanks buddy, you all are helping me get the motivation to keep going even through school. Anyway, I guess that's all I have to say right now, so nos vemos luego!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Bolt was running at full speed. Using his agility, he jumped over a fallen trashcan and kept running. None of this had been planned, but his only worry was to be late. He had promised to arrive at noon, and it was almost one by then. He didn't want to worry Rhino, or Mittens for that matter, though the shepherd was not sure if the cat cared at all if he showed up or not. While jumping over another trashcan, he remembered how curiously funny had been the previous night.

* * *

Everything had been normal. He had returned to his shelter with food and eaten to his full. He had been falling asleep when he felt a wet drop of water fall on his nose, which was a little out of the box he had taken for shelter. Then, millions of those had begun to fall on his cardboard roof, moistening it and rendering it useless in nothing more than a few minutes.

"Well, I guess I'll have to find somewhere else," He had said aloud before leaving the box, which was almost nothing by then, and starting to walk aimlessly.

In the course of half an hour he had gone deeper into the nearby city, further from Penny's home, while seeking refuge among the alleys. Although they had all been occupied, it seemed as if the rain had drained all the strays' will to fight, for they all simply told Bolt, not kindly at all, that he was not allowed into the alley, and that if he set paw inside they would shred him. The dog, grateful that fighting wasn't the first option, just kept looking. Eventually he had found a decent alley, strange to him since it was placed well. There was food nearby and it wasn't dirty. Not thinking too much about it, Bolt had entered the alley and settled down to sleep, inside an empty trashcan to get shelter from the rain.

About an hour had passed, and Bolt was deeply asleep, when he discovered why nobody claimed that alley. Without any warning a scandalous noise began to sound just behind the back wall, next to where the dog was lying, waking him instantly in a very unpleasant way. Yowls from apparently young people and electric music informed him that he had chosen for alley the back wall of a disco or a party hall. Whichever, or another one, the night was clearly just starting for those inside and that seemed ridiculously funny for the shepherd, since he knew immediately that he had two choices: go back to search, risking a possible fight, or just stay there and try to sleep, with all the noise, and beg for the party to end soon. "Soon" had turned out to be after Bolt had seriously considered getting in there and shutting them up by force at least six times, and that considering he knew what the consequences of that would be for him. Finally, with his paws covering tightly his sharp ears, he had ended up falling asleep.

* * *

Bolt turned left in a street, recognizing he was about to reach his first makeshift shelter. However, he had to stop when he smelled a butcher shop. Since he had been awake until late, he had overslept and totally missed breakfast. Giving in to his stomach, the dog waited by the door until someone came out of it, then used his puppy face to beg for some of the meat the person had just bought.

 _Thanks, Mittens,_ he thought as he bit on his food, well within the sight of people. Many stray dogs were aggressive, and dumb, but even the dumbest knew not to make a scandal in front of humans. Animal control happened to those who ignored that simple rule. At some point during the year, Bolt, Lily and Fox had pulled a trick like that with two dogs that were always bothering them. Simple as letting themselves get attacked by them in a public park. Bolt and Fox had come out injured after that, but it had been a small price to pay for the winning of getting those dogs out of their necks. After animal control took them, they had had no more unpleasant encounters with other animals.

With those thoughts in mind, Bolt couldn't help but smile. He wondered what his friend would be doing at the moment; then he remembered he was late. Gulping his last mouthful and drinking some water from a nearby puddle, the shepherd was ready to keep going, as fast as he could.

He arrived, according to his numbers, at ten past one. As soon as he saw the house, he quickened his pace, but halted as he perceived three smells, all too familiar to him. Two from his friends, Rhino and Mittens, following a specific direction, almost to where he came from, but drifting apart to someplace else. The third one was the scent he had learnt to identify and hide from himself in the streets, for it was dangerous to let it slip. And having it combined with the aromas of his friends wasn't a good sign, since that third one was the unmistakable smell of fear.

 _I'm going crazy,_ he thought. Obviously, Rhino was waiting for him at home, as was Mittens… well, probably she wasn't waiting, but she had to be home anyway.

Trying to ignore what he had just found, he ran to the garden and stood by the door, staying outside. He didn't feel he had the right to enter while Mittens didn't gave him any approval.

"Rhino, I'm here," He called, loudly enough for the hamster to hear him. He waited for a few seconds for an answer, which turned out to be null. Hearing more closely, he realized the television was off.

 _Perhaps they're upstairs,_ he thought, realizing Mittens hadn't answered either. True, the cat didn't seem to care for his meeting with Rhino, or his presence at all, but she hadn't _ignored_ him for the last two days. Bolt stepped away from the door and looked up to a window.

"Rhino! Mittens!"

Nothing.

Beginning to despair, he took a deep breath and howled with all his strength. "Guys!"

Silence.

Bolt realized something _was_ wrong. Thinking quickly but keeping his cool, like he had learnt to do during the year, he studied the facts. He only could conclude that Mittens and Rhino had left after all, and that they had been afraid at the time because of the scents he had picked up. When or why he would not know unless he found them.

Without wasting another second he retraced his steps until he caught their scents; then he began to follow it. He realized after a few minutes that they had been headed towards the nearby zone with more strays that they would find.

 _What were you guys thinking?_

Bolt sped up. But not too much, since it could be possible this would all end in a fight, and if he got there too tired he would achieve nothing. Repeating to himself over and over again that his friends were just safe, he kept following their trail.

He ran for at least twenty minutes, never losing track of his friends. His nose also let him in to the fact that, whatever had happened had probably frightened them more and more, since their fear-scent was growing as he went on. Fighting his own fears of being too late, he caught a sharp change in the direction of the trail, as well as a massive increase in fear-smell, leading him to conclude they had been fleeing at least from this point on.

 _I'm coming, guys. I'm coming._

He kept running until he heard a scream.

"Shut up, the both of you! That Bowl guy is not here, so just cooperate and I might let you live."

Bolt began to move carefully among the alleys, waiting for another voice to pinpoint him the place of what was happening. It was Rhino's comment, a few moments later, which did.

"When he gets here, he'll teach you a lesson!"

The dog that had yowled at them began to laugh, and two more joined in. It would be at least three to one, so he would have to think of something.

While the dogs were still laughing, Bolt peeked quickly into the alley. There were four. One of them, the ugliest, was not laughing, but keeping Mittens and Rhino at bay. Both of them seemed unhurt, though, so Bolt assumed they had just been captured.

 _Four to one,_ he thought. _Not impossible, but close enough. I have to take them down one by one._

Apparently, fate was smiling to him, for one of the dogs called to another, "Hey, Larry, go get more food."

"But we just ate!" Larry complained.

"I don't care, so move your ass and go get more. And if you hurry, you might make it back in time to play with the kitten. She _is_ pretty, y'know, for a cat." The other dog's tone was clear and dark.

Bolt felt his blood burn within him, _Over my dead body!_

He then quickly studied their words. Bolt backed a little from the alley and hid behind a trashcan. With his head barely peeking out, he saw a light gray dog reluctantly leaving the alley. He hid his head and waited for Larry to walk past him. When it happened, Bolt hit him on the head with a piece of metal lying beside the trashcan; probably the lid. Unfortunately, he did make too much noise.

"Larry?"

Bolt didn't know what to do next. He really didn't have much of an option, it all depended on their next move. Maybe if they sent one of the two remaining to look for Larry, and then the other to look for the one before…

But the leader's orders were different. After calling for Larry five times, he lowered his voice to talk to the other two. Bolt, back on the verge of the alley, strained his ears and managed to catch him calling, "Don't go out there. We will stay here for as long as we have to. Although, on second thought, I have a better idea." There was a brief pause and the dog raised his voice. "You have two seconds to show yourself or I'll kill the hamster!"

Bolt knew he had no choice. It would be him against those three. Two, assuming that one would stay and guard his friends, but even so it was no advantageous situation.

 _Well, here goes nothing._

He jumped into the center of the alley and, to his relief, both of his friends seemed to light up at his presence. "Bolt!" Even Mittens had called out to him, and she looked relieved to see him. Now, he didn't let it get to his head; he knew Mittens hated him. Perhaps she was just grateful he had stopped them from hurting her.

 _No, Mittens isn't like that. Get it together, Bolt,_ He scolded himself.

The shepherd had been so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't even heard the leader of the dogs start talking. Trying it not to be noticed, he centered his attention onto him.

"Even though I recognize your right not to accept my very generous offer, I do recommend that you take it. Especially after what you did to Larry." The dog was saying.

Bolt didn't actually need to know what the dog had first said, he could figure. Leave or die, let them take on their friends or die… Anyway, declining would mean fighting and that was exactly what he planned on doing.

"It is a tempting offer," Bolt replied, pretending he had heard the so-famous offer. "But I have a counter. Let them go and we'll be on our way. Refuse and we will fight."

The dog smiled, showing off broken and damaged teeth.

"Kill him."

The two dogs that weren't holding to his friends turned around and got to growling. Bolt took a step back whilst studying them. One was about his height, but didn't have the looks of a shepherd. Perhaps a cross-bred. The other one was slightly smaller, but looked aggressive nonetheless, and bore scars that showed he tended to win street fights. The price for losing usually was dying, so…

The little one flexed his legs ever so slightly, still being noticed by Bolt, who ducked just as the guy tried to jump on him. He ended hitting one of the garbage cans close by and didn't get up immediately to Bolt's relief. He suddenly felt a throbbing pain in the shoulder and knew he had lowered his guard too long. Withstanding the pain, Bolt looked to one of the dog's legs and stomped on it with all his strength. The grip was released on him and Bolt took his chance. He pinned the other dog to the ground and bit hard on one of his legs. He was not a murderer; he was just trying to get them knocked out. An agonizing howl told him that he had probably bit on top of another wound.

A few seconds passed before the dog pushed Bolt off with his hind paws, just barely managing so. He jumped back to his paws and began studying Bolt. In a brief moment he fixed his eyes into something behind Bolt, and the shepherd smiled to himself before crouching again. Moments later, the smaller dog fell in front of him, and bolt gave him a scratch or two before he got away.

"Stop playing and kill him now!" The leader growled.

Both dogs shook their heads and showed their teeth, as if until then they had not taken Bolt seriously. The little one ran towards him. The shepherd aimed a good blow to his opponent, but on the last second he jumped, making Bolt miss. Then the other dog gave him a headbutt, throwing Bolt to the floor. The smaller one jumped on him, knocking the air out of his lungs. Then he received, in revenge, a bite on one of his legs. However, the dog held it for so long that Bolt recovered his breath, grew used to the pain and managed to hit the bigger one with his free leg. Then he got up brusquely, throwing away the smaller one.

While the little one was recovering, Bolt quickly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and held tightly. The look on his friends' faces was saying, clearly and loudly: _"What in the world are you doing, Bolt?"_

 _Improvising,_ he thought to himself.

"Hey! Let go!" The dog demanded. "Claw, make him free me."

The big dog moved towards Bolt, who only raised his head, movement that forced the smaller guy into his hind paws. It seemed as if he were holding a puppet, and the other dog seemed to understand the situation, because he halted.

"What are you waiting for? Attack him!" The dog in Bolt's grasp growled.

Claw looked at his companion for a few seconds and then ran towards Bolt. He raised a paw, aiming a blow to Bolt's side; however, the shepherd only moved his head to the same side and his foe's attack hit his own ally.

"Ow!" He complained. "Not me, stupid, him!"

A couple of chuckles were heard behind Claw. They were Rhino and Mittens. Bolt smiled faintly and winked at them with the dog still in his grasp. Moments later he moved his head the other way, making Claw scratch his companion.

"Not me!"

"I'm trying, Sheldon."

Sheldon growled in response, but to his ally this time. Losing his calm, Claw kept trying to get to Bolt, continuously failing and harming Sheldon more and more. The shepherd managed to catch a glimmer of amusement in his friends' eyes, and he noticed that he, too, was starting to enjoy it. He made the poor little guy receive all the attacks from his friend, regardless of where Claw was aiming, Bolt managed to pull Sheldon's body in between them always.

"Ow!" Sheldon yowled when he got a bite to his paw, meant for Bolt of course. "Enough, stupid!"

"Yes, that's enough." The dark voice called from behind claw. Bolt looked at the leader, holding Mittens from her neck, lifting her from the ground and keeping her breathing way below where it should be. "Release Sheldon. Now."

"I'll trade him," Bolt countered through gritted teeth. "Let her go, let them go and I will."

The leader looked at Bolt through narrowed eyes. "No deal."

Bolt, in response, bit a little harder on Sheldon's neck, causing him to yelp. "Oh, really?"

The leader smiled. "You wouldn't kill him. Your first bite gave you away. Me, on the other hand…"

The threat ended with the dog tightening his grip on Mittens' neck.

Bolt tried to think quickly. By the time, perhaps, an animal control van could be around. But he could not leave his friends. He came up with nothing more, so he played his only card and let go of Sheldon. He licked his snout to get rid of the foul taste the street dog had on his fur.

"Well, you're not that stupid," The leader said. "You complied, so I will not kill them." He added, letting go of Mittens. "But I will kill you."

As an order, he gestured with his head towards Bolt. Claw tackled him immediately. Sheldon bit down onto his neck, harder and shaking brusquely, and within seconds Bolt knew he was starting to bleed. Then he began to receive all of the attacks he had managed to avoid earlier. He didn't even try to defend himself, still fearing the leader would take on his friends if he did. It kept going until Claw bit on his leg, on top of a wound that had caused him a lot of trouble: a bite he had got the day he met Lily and Fox. His yowl of pain was heard a long way from the alley.

Sheldon kept biting over and over onto his neck.

"How does this feel, idiot? Huh? Huh?" He asked cynically between bites. He would even pull while biting, opening his skin more.

Claw, on his side, kept biting, scratching and kicking anywhere he could. Bolt caught a glimpse of the leader, standing away from the other two, smiling as he suffered. Mittens and Rhino seemed so stunned that, even if they had had a chance to escape, they probably wouldn't have taken it.

After losing account of the damage he had received, and beginning to feel dizzy due to blood loss, he heard a car door close in the vicinity, followed by some incomprehensible comments. Bolt recognized right away what it was, and seeing the leader's eyes shot open, he had guessed, too.

"Animal control!" He howled as he jumped to his two companions. "Leave him! We have to run!"

Claw and Sheldon released Bolt and followed their leader out of the alley; they were followed by men shouting, meaning that they had spotted the dogs and were giving chase. Bolt thanked them in silence as his surroundings started to turn blurry. He got comfortable on the floor and closed his eyes.

"Bolt!" He heard Mittens' voice near him. Opening his eyes, he spotted Rhino right at her side. "Why would you do something like that?" She sobbed.

"A-Anything for the owner of my heart."

The cat looked down at him, surprised. Probably had assumed the worst, but she was, in fact, not so wrong.

"Don't talk, Bolt," Rhino, worryingly calmly, told him. "Don't waste energy."

"T-Thanks for everything, Rhino. There is no better friend than you." Bolt muttered. The hamster nodded slightly with misty eyes.

"Tell me something, buddy."

"Anything."

Bolt snickered and asked, "How was I?"

Rhino recovered some of the typical brightness in his eyes. "Just like your series: skillful, strong, intrepid and intelligent."

Bolt chuckled dryly, then blinked a couple of times to find his friends again. The dog fixed his eyes on the cat next to him. Tears ran down her cheeks and her eyes were closed with pain. With a lot of effort, he lifted one of his paws to caress her cheek, wiping away the tears. Mittens grabbed his paw before he dropped it, and hug onto it, still not opening her eyes.

"Mittens," he called with effort.

The cat opened her eyes and he saw the pain she was feeling. He could _feel_ her pain. Moving his paw again, he caressed her other cheek with the same gentleness, and felt Mittens rubbing against it.

"Don't cry… d-don't suffer for me."

"Oh, Bolt… this is all my fault…"

The cat stopped when he placed his paw on her mouth. Knowing he could be on the last of his chances to talk to her, Bolt wanted to play all of his cards.

"I love you, Mittens," He said weakly, barely managing the words out. "And… and I-I'm so sorry… P-Please forgive—"

He didn't finish. Everything went blank.

Finding himself somewhere unknown, Bolt saw images of his entire life. His early years, and the warmth of being with Penny; his time in the show, with the constant fear that his person would be hurt and the bad nights that the cats there made him go through; the way he got lost, and how overwhelming it was to be in the unknown; when he met Mittens, feeling nothing but anger because Penny had been kidnapped; how Rhino joined the trip; the train, the animal shelter; the cat teaching him what the dogs did; the fight in Las Vegas, and all the pain he felt when he parted from Mittens; the fire, the hospital, the adoption of his friends; the good times before Princess appeared; the jealousy of Mittens; the big fight; Fox and Lily, and their wise advice; his trip back home, one year after having abandoned it; the previous night; the fight, and finally, her eyes, emerald green, fogged with pain and tears at the last moment he saw her. As soon as he finished seeing that, he stopped perceiving everything, feeling that his life was going away; He thought of Mittens at the time, trying to be optimistic.

 _It's useless. She hates me, and she has her reasons,_ he thought, remembering how she had greeted him and her tone of voice.

Then he remembered her expression of relief when he made his way to the alley, her amused gaze as he played with Sheldon and her eyes clouded at seeing him wounded. The dog gave himself a mental slap.

 _You pathetic excuse for a dog! You can be_ stupid _sometimes! You will hurt her more if you give up, if you don't come back! Maybe she won't have you at home, but she doesn't want you dead. And you will never see her again if you give up. So come on, "superdog", stay!_

Bolt spent some time clinging to life. He wasn't even sure what he was doing, merely keeping his focus on not dying, keeping the possibility of seeing her again as his fuel for it. Suddenly a tunnel of light made itself visible, coming towards Bolt quickly. The dog, exhausted and ignorant of what would become of himself, let the light engulf him.

Bolt came back to his senses, noticing first that he was both on top and underneath something soft. When he tried to move, he first of all felt all of the sudden the pain come back, confirming that he was alive. After getting used to the stinging and trying to move a second time he realized he had _someone_ on top of him. He opened his eyes slightly, only for them to shot totally open when he saw Mittens. The cat was lying on his stomach, asleep and with tears flowing down her closed eyes, sobbing weakly. At first Bolt didn't get why, until his memory snapped back to him the recent events. But that only confused him more. Looking around, he found himself and the cat on Penny's room.

 _How long have I been here? How did I even_ get _here? I thought I was dying and…_

He stopped when Mittens began to move. She was kicking in her sleep, and her sobbing increased.

"Bolt!" she cried, not opening her eyes. "No… don't leave me!"

Bolt instinctively held her and began to move one of his paws up and down her back, while humming a song that Fox sang to Lily when she was scared. He had heard it a lot during storm season, for Lily was terrified by thunders. However, he had never picked up the lyrics, so he just hummed the tune. It was soft, warm and comforting, and he thought it would be perfect for the scared cat.

"Shh, Mittens. I'm okay. I'm right here and I'll never leave you alone again," He whispered in her ear when he finished humming. "You are safe."

When he said that, the cat began to open her eyes and blinked a few times while doing so. They were a little red, stained with her pain, and Bolt deduced she had probably been crying a lot, asleep or awake.

When she finally was wide awake, she stared at Bolt for a few moments, like she didn't believe what she was seeing.

"Bolt?" She asked finally.

The dog smiled at her. "Hi, Mittens."

The cat returned the smiled immediately, her eyes starting to shine with happiness. Not saying anything, she buried her face into Bolt's neck, nuzzling him and purring non-stop while hugging him. The shepherd held her, too, and pulled her closer to himself, enjoying the warmth of her fur.

They stayed like that for a while, until Mittens pulled away from Bolt, still on top of him. He couldn't figure out her expression and that made him uncertain.

Fearing her answer, he asked, "Mittens? Is something wrong?"

She didn't answer right away, her gaze absent. She seemed to be deciding on something important. Bolt had to ask again, "Mittens?" before she looked at him. "Something the matter?"

Once again, there was no immediate response. A few seconds later, Mittens began to smile at Bolt.

"The matter is," She started, snuggling closer. "That once upon a time, an alley cat, sarcastic and pessimistic, met a crazy dog who had no concept of reality. And, in his madness, he dragged her across a whole country, changing her attitude and making her fall in love with him in the process. She then stayed to live with him, until they had a fight, a very dumb and big fight. He left her, and she closed her heart once more. But she wasn't happy, and neither was him, not without the other one. By chance, he came back a year later, but she was very upset and tried to make him leave again."

"Mittens… that's our story."

The cat placed a paw on his mouth, shutting him gently. "You didn't let me finish." She waited for a few seconds and continued. "She really had convinced herself that she was angry at him, and it was not until he almost got killed to save her, that she realized she still loved him still, as she had since the first time he had saved her." She moved closer to Bolt's ears. "And the matter is, that she's about to tell him."

"Mittens?"

"I love you, Bolt." She whispered into his ear.

As she pulled away from his ear to look him in the eye, she gave him a quick lick on his cheek, and bolt couldn't stop his heart from missing a beat. A smile forced itself on his face, and he looked at her as she stared back with a dreamy look in her half-closed eyes.

"I love you, too," He said, wrapping her in his arms again. He pulled her to him and brought his face close to hers. He felt her soft breath on his nose and knew immediately that she agreed with his intentions. But before he could, she took the initiative and pressed her soft lips on his, making him the happiest dog in the world. He reached a level of jot he wished he could have forever. Everything he had done since Fox made him realize his true feelings for Mittens, all of it, had been for the sake of that kiss.

It lasted several seconds and before finishing, Bolt realized he was caressing Mittens, and she was doing the same to him. He opened his eyes slightly when the cat pulled away; then he licked her cheek, like she had done before. Mittens kissed him once more and placed her head underneath his chin, fitting like that space was made for her, like the piece of a puzzle. The warmth of both the cat and the events began to lull Bolt. In a short time, the dog was asleep, for the first time in a long time, feeling that everything was where it was meant to be.

* * *

 **Hey! Yeah, I'm late... again. Man, I was picking up the rhythm to keep updating regularly and then BAM! Your-CPU-got-busted-uppercut to my chin. So I lost everything and had to start over again with the chapter. So sorry, guys. On the bright side! We're one chapter away from finishing this story (more like an epilogue, I guess), and then I'll go back and finish the curiosities chapters on my main story. Woo! My special thanks to Basbon for his iron patience and ever-present reviews, and I'll see you soon (hopefully)!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Mittens woke up, not knowing what time it might be. What she did know was what had happened before she fell asleep, and the fact that her beloved shepherd was holding her on top of his belly made her smile, because it had not been a dream. No, this time, it had been real. Keeping her smile on, she cuddled closer to Bolt for a while longer, not falling asleep again, merely enjoying his warmth. There was one more thing to do. Very carefully as to not wake him up, Mittens slipped out of his embrace and got off of him. Halfway through her walking to the door she heard a faint sound and turned around, only to find bolt moving his paws, searching for her while still fully asleep. Snickering, and stopping herself from making more noise, she kept going, for she wanted to find it before he woke up, and that didn't seem too far away.

Mittens went downstairs, unable to remove that smile. Down there was Rhino, watching television. However, the hamster turned it off when he spotted Mittens and jumped off the couch to intercept her.

"Well?" He asked. "How's he doing?"

"He's fine." She answered simply.

Rhino stared at her, clearly waiting for a more concrete answer than that.

"On, come on, cat," He complained. "I kept my part and stayed out until he woke up. You wouldn't be down here if he hadn't already, so I at least deserve to know how my hero and best friend it doing."

Mittens shook her head and rolled her eyes, but kept on smiling. And she would keep it on, nothing would remove the smile caused by that kiss. "Okay, okay. He woke up a few hours ago and is fully recovered. He will live. And…"

"And?"

Mittens' smile widened. "And… he's staying."

Rhino stared at her, a smile overtaking him, too. "You're gonna… let him stay?" He asked in wonder.

"After what happened, I wouldn't send him away. Ever."

"I know, right?" The little guy agreed. "He arrived just in time to save us."

Mittens nodded and walked to the pet door. When Rhino asked where was she going, she merely waved her tail to indicate him she wouldn't be long. Obviously the rodent had not understood what she meant with 'what happened', but she would let him believe what he wanted.

Once outdoors, she went straight to Trevor's hiding place, for the first time, looking for something else than him. She got into the bushes and started to search for the object that would seal all of that.

 _Where is it?_ She thought as she tried to reach in between the branches and twigs with her paws. _I gave it to Trevor so it should be around— Oh, no! It's true, I tossed it away!_

She jumped out of the plants, looking frantically in all directions as she tried to remember in which one she had tossed Bolt's collar, less than a week ago. However, when she gave just a couple steps forward, she stepped onto something that felt totally different from the grass. Looking down, she found nothing less than…

"Bolt's collar! But how…?"

She found her answer in a note next to said object.

 _I assumed you would need it soon. Don't let temporary emotions do permanent damage, especially when you're not sure of your feelings, Mittens. Enjoy every moment spent with him. Take care. –T_

The cat took the collar and held it to her chest.

"Thanks, Trevor. I will… I will."

Excited, she grabbed the note and bolted back inside. She went upstairs and into Penny's room. She stared at him for a few seconds, watching him sleep peacefully, his paws still searching for the missing cat on top of him. She smiled, walked over to him and kissed him gently.

"Wake up, my sleepy hero," She whispered.

It took him a few moments, but the white Shepherd began to open his eyes.

"Mittens?"

"Good morning, sleepyhead. How are you feeling?"

Bolt got to his paws and stretched with a wide yawn. "Pretty good. I _hardly_ feel any pain right now." The dog looked at his wounds. Then he noticed that Mittens was hiding something behind her back. "Uh, what's that?"

She smiled at him. "It's a surprise. Close your eyes."

Bolt obeyed in a moment and did as he was told. Mittens waved a paw in fron of his face to check they were closed.

"Now keep still." She told him.

Bolt nodded slightly and kept still. Mittens walked to him and placed his collar back on its rightful place. She adjusted it and then backed a little, licking his cheek as she did so.

"Open them, wags."

The dog opened his eyes and looked down, gasping a little when he spotted his name written on the collar back onto his neck. He touched it with a paw and stared in amazement at her.

"Y-You kept it."

"Why, of course I kept it, silly." She told him playfully. "And I'll admit I even slept with it for a long time. But it's yours, looks better on you, and I rather sleep with you."

Bolt didn't answer, blushed and looked away. Mittens, enjoying it more than she would care to tell, ran her tail over his neck, and told him, "I didn't know you were shy, puppy," in a flirtatious tone.

"M-Mi-Mittens, wait," The dog managed to say, stepping back a little. "I don't… I don't think I deserve this."

"Is that so?"

"Y-Yeah. I left you, I hurted you and I ran away. I did a lot of damage, Mittens. There's nothing I'd like more than being with you, but…"

Mittens shut him up with a kiss, and although at first Bolt seemed to be trying to resist, he let himself go into it. When she ended it, she didn't let him start talking again.

"Bolt, none of that matters now. We both made mistakes, and we're both guilty for what happened. I told you many things, as many as you told me. I love you," She told him. "Do you love me?"

"With all my heart," He answered.

"Then that's all that matters. We have lived so much together, and I want to live many more things with you." Mittens had more to say, but she stopped when Bolt took a step towards her. Before she could ask, Bolt pulled her into a tight hug, with all his affection.

Mittens got lost in the warmth of his hug and found herself purring and rubbing herself onto the dog's chest.

Eventually, Bolt pulled away from her. When he looked at her he seemed perfect, all his doubts cleared. Mittens didn't move her eyes from him, her mind racing a million thoughts per second, before Bolt got onto his paws.

"Now that I think about it," He started, looking around. "Where's Rhino?"

"Oh, he's downstairs. I… uh… wanted to be with you… alone… and I asked for him to give me some… privacy?" Mittens admitted, looking down to prevent Bolt from noticing her blushing.

She got a kiss in the forehead for an answer, which surprised her to the point of not letting her speak. She looked at Bolt and got lost into his smile.

"I promise," He said, "I will spend with you as long as you want, whenever you want, with or without Rhino. Playing or resting, day or night."

Mittens could barely contain her happiness. She could have stayed there forever, but Bolt had to see Rhino alright.

"Come on, let's go see him before I kidnap you." She told the dog.

Bolt and Mittens headed downstairs, she leading the way, and what they found was not surprising: A brown hamster inside a plastic ball sitting on the couch and watching television, a white dog and a young girl starring on the screen. By the looks of his excitement as he watched, it was deductible it was one of the good episodes from the series, when they had worked on it.

Mittens jumped to the couch and leaned down. "Hey, rodent, someone wants to see you."

"And who would want to meet the majestic— Bolt!" Rhino shouted when he spotted the dog next to the couch. He got out of his ball and jumped to hug him. "I knew you would survive. You are Bolt, the superdog. They may be two, they may be ten, they may be thousands, but Bolt will teach them a lesson nonetheless!"

"Thanks, Rhino," Bolt told him after leaving the small furball on the couch again. "But I think I'm done with action for a while; I'd rather spend time with you, guys."

"Of course; and you're more than welcome to stay, right, cat?"

Mittens rolled her eyes, but didn't stop smiling. "Yes, he can stay. You know what? No, he can't. He _is_ staying."

Bolt nodded to her words. "I am staying."

"Be-awesome!"

Bolt got on the couch, besides his friends, and the three kept on watching T.V.

* * *

"Mittens! Rhino! I'm back!"

Penny crossed the doot moments after calling to both of them, and gasped when she saw the white shepherd with them.

"Bolt! You're awake!"

Mittens saw the dog jump from the couch, land nimbly, and run to his person to cover her with licks as she hugged him and pet him. After a few minutes of that, the girl pressed her forehead to Bolt's.

"!" She said softly before kissing his forehead. They held up for some minutes, like trying to sill in for all the time they had been apart, and then she got up. "Well, who's hungry?"

"Now that's my call!" Rhino said before turning off the T.V. and jumping off the couch. "You coming, cat?"

"In a moment," She said. Rhino shrugged and caught up with Bolt and Penny in the kitchen.

Mittens got to thinking. Things had finally settled. Bolt was home, she had finally admitted her feelings for him, and now they were mates—even though none had said it out loud, it was not really necessary. Both knew what they were—, and the dog was making a fine recovery of his injuries. Trevor had been right; he had always been right.

"Mittens," She heard Penny calling her. She jumped off the couch and went to eat with the others. Their first meal together since Bolt's return.

* * *

"Hey, guys, how did you bring me here?" Bolt asked. "And how long has it been?"

Penny had gone to her room to make her homework after eating; the trio of friends was back in the couch, watching T.V., in a silence that Bolt had just broken.

"An old friend of yours helped us," Rhino replied. "Fox appeared about a minute after you fainted. He helped us cover your biggest wounds with leaves and some not-so-dirty-papers we found around. He also helped carry you."

Bolt turned his gaze to Mittens, who was glued to his side, tucked under his arm.

"It's true, wags," She said. "When we got here, we changed your 'bandages' and he left you in the garden so Penny would see you. He didn't stay after that. When Penny saw you, she took care of you and tended to your wounds. Today actually was the first day she decided you didn't need them anymore."

"It's been three days," Rhino added. "And _someone_ didn't let me stay in the room until you woke up. She wanted some space with you, I presume."

Bolt returned his gaze to the cat, who was blushing.

"I-I thought that… if I stayed by your side… you would recover faster. But if _he_ had been present, he wouldn't stop teasing about what I did."

"And what were you doing that I wasn't allowed to watch, cat?"

Mittens realized she had talked more than she was meant to and bit her tongue. She covered he mouth with a paw, gesture that Rhino used immediately.

"Aha! So the little cat has a secret, huh?"

The hamster began taunting Mittens, speculating on what she had done while Bolt was unconscious. The cat did not need to hear that, and did not want any of the crazy things he was saying to stay in Bolt's head, even more when she had done nothing wrong. Crying and saying his name was what she had done most of the time, and when she got desperate, she hugged him; but, of course, Rhino did not stop venturing to say things like she had kissed him while he slept. After a minute, she got tired of that. She removed Bolt's arm from her back, flexed her legs and jumped on top of the hamster's ball, which was on the other side of Bolt.

"I'll eat you, rodent!"

The hamster stopped laughing, shrieked in panic and began to flee, all in the split of a second that it took for Mittens to land where he had been.

"Bolt, help me!" Rhino begged while running away from the furious feline that was chasing him through the whole house.

"I don't know, buddy… I think you brought it on yourself this time."

Knowing that she had Bolt's "support", Mittens sped up and jumped on Rhino's ball as he screamed in fear. She grabbed it, opened it, grabbed the little guy, took him out of his shield and held him on eye level. Her eyes were flooded with fire-like fury and his were drowning in pure terror.

"Wait! I'm sorry! I won't say it again! I'll let you cut my whiskers! Don't kill me please! Bolt! Bolt, please!"

"Okay, okay; Mittens, I think he's got enough." Bolt intervened, getting off the couch, when she was beginning to bring him towards her mouth.

The cat, resigned, opened her paw and dropped Rhino, who ran to hide behind Bolt's legs.

"I hope you stay out of my sight for a while, rodent, or I'll make you my dinner," She growled at him.

Rhino peeked from behind Bolt and then ran to his ball, got inside, closed it and climbed back into the couch. The cat, still annoyed, growled at him as he ran past her.

So focused was she in her anger towards Rhino, that she didn't heard anything until Bolt gave her a lick. Then he kept talking, because Mittens was sure she had missed the first part.

"Besides, you look prettier when you smile." He said, caressing her cheek. "Much prettier."

At such words, anger was gone and replaced by a fuzzy feeling in her stomach, a smile and a slight blush.

"You see? Gorgeous."

She blushed more. "Th-Thanks, Bolt."

"Well, remind me to keep you close when I'm taunting her." Rhino teased from where he was.

"And you," The dog said, turning to Rhino. "better stop pulling her whiskers. There are better ways to hang out."

"Yeah, I know, but this one's the most fun."

"But you're risking it. Whatever will happen the day I'm not around, or if you piss her enough that she won't even listen to me?" The dog pointed out, with the same voice tone Rhino had used.

Rhino did not answer, and shifted his eyes from Bolt to Mittens. After a few seconds, he simply nodded. The cat deduced that their "rough games" would probably continue, no matter if Bolt told him to stop or not. It was, in a way, the way in which the two lived together; in fact, thinking about it a little, she was glad Rhino had teased again, because while Bolt was not there, that habit had been lost. The fact that he started repeating it once again only sealed the return of her beloved white shepherd to his home.

* * *

"Goodnight, Rhino."

"Night, Bolt. See you, cat."

Smiling because of the first of many good days to come, Mittens told Rhino. "Don't stay up too late, rodent."

There was no response, for Rhino had his eyes glued to the television already. There would be an all-night long special of one of his favorite series, and the hamster wasn't about to miss his chance. However, she and Bolt had no reason to keep on watching the device. Both of them were tired, and Bolt still had to rest.

They headed upstairs and into Penny's room silently. The girl was already asleep, resting for another day of school. They headed to Bolt's bed, where he lay with his stomach up and then looked at the cat.

Mittens smiled. "Do you want me to sleep with you?"

"Are you kidding? I slept much better these days than in the rest of my life put together," Bolt commented on her question.

Mittens was very moved by his answer, but stopped herself from just doing as he wanted without teasing first.

"You didn't answer me," She remarked playfully.

"Yes. Yes, I want you to sleep with me."

Mittens accepted his request and climbed onto Bolt's belly. He grabbed her as soon as she got comfortable. Before closing her eyes, Mittens got nose to nose with the dog for a second or two, before kissing him slightly.

"Good night, wags."

"Good night, pretty."

Without saying more, both closed their eyes. Just before falling asleep, Mittens' smile widened as she thought about the series of events that had led to that moment. All the problems, all the setbacks, but finally everything was in order again. There was only one, bright future for everyone ahead: as friends, as family and, with her and Bolt, as mates.

* * *

 **And this is how it ends. I would really like to thank for the support and the patience. Now that this one's finished, next time you see from me will be back in my main story, with the few chapters that are missing. Thanks, Basbon, you're the best, man. Thanks for your reviews. Nothing else to say, so... Los veré pronto, amigos míos.  
**


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